Hello, Lynne Lanning here.
When we picture the American West of the late 1800s, two iconic images come to mind — the dusty cattle drive and the hopeful wagon train. Both depended on a cook to keep body and soul together across hundreds of miles of unforgiving terrain. But while these two cooks shared a canvas kitchen and an iron skillet, their worlds were surprisingly different.
The Chuck Wagon Cook: King of the Cattle Drive
On a cattle drive, the cook was royalty. Second in authority only to the trail boss, and he demanded respect. Feeding ten to twenty cowboys three times every day, for months on end, he was scheduler, medic, barber, and camp manager all rolled into one weathered, flour-dusted package.
His chuck wagon was his kingdom. The chuck box held everything from sourdough starter to liniment. Nobody touched it without permission. He rode ahead of the herd each day to select a campsite, set up, and have a hot meal waiting when the cowboys arrived, dusty, tired, and hungry enough to eat the wagon wheels.
His menu was simple but essential: beans, biscuits, salt pork, dried fruit, and coffee so strong it could lasso a steer on its own. Cowboys who complained about the food quickly learned that a hungry trail was far worse than a humble one. The cook’s word around camp was law, and even the trail boss thought twice before crossing him.
His sourdough starter was often his most prized possession, kept warm against his body on cold nights to keep it alive. Losing it wasn’t just an inconvenience. It was a tragedy.
Speaking of tragedy… A cattle drive was full of dangers, ranging from harsh and sudden weather conditions, wild animals, rustlers, and of course, the dreaded stampede! Join a cattle drive adventure with my book – The Miracle of Peace – Dangers ahead!
Mail Order Stonemason – is a perfect picture of the range wars and how the homesteaders braced themselves against an intentional stampede, meant to wipe out their houses and even their lives!
But let me get back to the cooks! The cantankerous cook in Caleb’s Brides – was seriously injured, but that didn’t stop him from being cantankerous! This is a fun, lighthearted read!
The Wagon Train Cook: Servant of the Family
The wagon train cook operated in an entirely different world. Instead of cowboys, he… or very often, she, cooked for families. Westward pioneers brought their own supplies, recipes, and opinions, making the cook’s job considerably more complicated.
Not all wagon trains hired a cook. Sometimes, families prepared their own meals, around individual fires at the end of each day. When a cook was employed, the role carried far less authority than its cattle drive counterpart.
The wagon train cook had to stretch supplies over journeys that could last four to six months, using whatever game, water, or trading posts the trail provided. Cooking was done over open fires or small camp stoves, often in wind, rain, or suffocating dust. With the needs of an entire community to consider, flexibility and patience were as important as any recipe.
The menu looked similar: beans, cornmeal, dried meat, biscuits; but the spirit was different. This was for comfort, with a taste of home dragged across the prairie in a wooden wagon.
Join the 4 to 6 month trek across the country, as A Journey for Keelie gives descriptive details of the blessings and dangers along the way – (This is one of my all-time best sellers!)
Back to the cooks!
What They Shared
Although different, both cooks kept people fed, healthy, and hopeful in some of the harshest conditions imaginable. Both worked before sunrise and long after sunset, improvising, knowing that a hot meal at the end of a brutal day was worth more than almost anything else on the trail. They knew food wasn’t just fuel, it was what held people together when everything else threatened to tear them apart.
The Bottom Line
The chuck wagon cook was an authority figure, ruling with an iron skillet and an iron will. The wagon train cook was a nurturer, feeding families and the fragile hope of building a better life.
Two cooks. Two kitchens on wheels. One unforgettable era in American history.
It’s an honor to share a glimpse of my passion for the Old West! For this special occasion of being here with you, all 4 ebooks mentioned above are on SALE for 99c each this weekend.
Today, there will be three winners to celebrate my sweet, new book releasing May 15th – Garden Belles – Quince (on pre-order!) Winners will receive ecopies of my 2 published books in the Garden Belles series – Violet and Jasmine. What a sweet series it is! Prepare to fall in love!
Tell me about your experiences of cooking or eating outside. Campfire? Backyard grilling? What is your favorite campfire food?
If you were going to work as a cook on the trail, which would you choose: cattle drive or wagon train? Why?
Roasting hotdogs over an open flame
Yes! Hand me a stick and add some marshmallows!
My late husband and I loved camping (in a trailer) and fishing on Grand Mesa (CO), which is the largest table-top mountain ih the world. Catching, then cleaning our fish and frying them was the best part of the day and I still miss it. Incidentally, he had worked for a dude ranch and not only was he their wrangler, but also the cook. He made the best liver and onions I ever tasted, was a super pie maker and would tackle just about any recipe you could ask, as long as his health held out.
He sounds like a treasure for sure. I bet he had plenty of stories to share about ranch life. My husband and I would enjoy our vacations camping with our kids when they were young. Precious memories. Even though I still like the thought of camping, and to me, there’s nothing as cozy as sitting around a campfire, my husband has convinced me it’s so much easier to eat at a restaurant and sleep in a hotel. He says it’s time to let someone else do the work for us!
grilling corn
Yes, ma’am! Hadn’t tried that until a few years ago, but now I love it!
Grilling hamburgers.
Oh my, yes! Even if I have just finished eating, if I smell beef of any kind on a grill in the neighborhood, I’m ready to hunt them down and invite myself to their table. LOVE that smell!
Grilling spedies which is either marinated beef chicken lamb or pork cooked on skewers and severed on Italian bread
That sounds delicious! I may have to try that!
From my earliest memories we ate outdoors a lot: on the river banks, on long drives eating at a roadside park, to my husband cooking – he was the great griller of the family. I would choose the wagon train between your choice.
Love a picnic! You know, it seems odd, but it just occurred to me, even though most women do the majority of cooking at home, it seems that most grilling is done by men…hmm, interesting!
To choose the wagon train, I would guess you are a nurturing type of person. There was a great need for that when the trail seemed endless.
Steak over a wood fire is my favorite. Even at home, I will cook over wood coals. Being campers in remote areas, i’ve learned how much fun it is to grill. I would love to be a cook on a cattle drive. I love feeding people who are hungry and appreciative to eat good food. Enjoyed your blog today, Lynne.
Thanks Kathy! You can invite me for supper any time! LOL! I too, would choose the cattle drive, for many reasons. Usually the trail wasn’t as long, the people you were with were experienced, and you could boss those boys around like they were your sons!
Keep your wood supply full!
I’ve not eaten over a campfire except for cookouts and then it’s usually hot dogs.so my choice would be wagon train cook.
Cookouts are so much fun! I look forward to many during the summer months. Not only do I love the grilled food, but all the other foods prepared ahead of time to go with it…potato salad probably being my favorite.
I have never enjoyed camping very much, but years ago, I’m talking 50 years ago, we had a popup camper. Our son was little, maybe 3 years old, and we pulled that little camper from Louisiana to Colorado and other points west. One night we camped in the mountains above Colorado Springs. It was so cold and snowing. I had taken my pressure cooker with me and made a pot of beef stew over our camp stove. I don’t believe anything had ever tasted so good. Warmed us up and filled us up too. The people who owned the campground lived in a beautiful home there and were so kind. They invited us in to warm up by their fireplace. Such a wonderful memory.
I think I would choose wagon train cook because there would be other women along to help cook.
I would have loved being on trip like that, of course, when I was much younger…now I’m completely satisfied to hear of other people’s adventures, or maybe take a virtual trip while enjoying the comfort of my couch!
It sounds like you made memories to last a lifetime.
I hear your choice about a wagon train cook with sharing the work, (and that includes clean-up duties – I’d gladly share that any time!)
If my husband has his way we would eat all meals outside:) We enjoy eating and/or sitting on our back deck watching the wildlife and listening to the birds while feasting on some of his smoked brisket! We enjoy smoking meats (pork; chicken; turkey; beet and even ) and sharing with our family and friends. I think I would want to be a cook on the cattle drive – while both sound very challenging I think I would enjoy providing not only food but support to the men driving the cattle.
That back deck sounds so wonderful! I wasn’t familiar with smoked meats until a few years ago. My son-in-law loves to smoke meat and does a great job! Every visit to Florida, I look forward to it, in fact, I will be going there in about 10 days…time to put my order in with him! LOL!
I like your thought on being supportive to the men on a cattle drive, not just feeding them. I hadn’t really thought of that angle. Thanks for giving me a new perspective.
I have loved camping for all of my life and I love to cook outdoors, whether over a campfire or on a camp stove or barbecue grill. Even when we upgraded from a tent to a nice camper or motor home over the years, I still did the cooking outdoors. I would prefer to be a cattle drive cook rather than a wagon train cook so that I could get set up and be ready to feed people as soon as they showed up.
You sound like a true lover of the great outdoors! I love it. I also like your reason for being a cattle drive cook…I like doing my prepping and cooking by myself (for the most part). I like being ready to serve when everyone arrives. Too many cooks in the kitchen isn’t fun or productive (sometimes).
My husband’s great grandma worked as a chuck wagon cook on short cattle drives in OK around the turn of the century. Her husband was one of the cowboys.
Oh wow! I would have loved to hear her stories! And his too! I’m sure it was hard work, long days, and impending danger, and through my research, I have certainly learned to respect what they did. But, what a way to live!
If anyone wrote down any of their stories, I sure would like to take a peek at them!
I love cooking outside. We used to do everything, including fried dough once. I did love the ones cooked al together in foil. I was a Girl Scout leader.
Being a Girl Scout was my first taste of outdoor cooking and eating. I thank you for being a leader for young girls!
I haven’t tried the meals altogether in foil, although I bet it’s delicious! Nothing is dried out because it draws moisture, and flavor from each other.
Growing up, we camped a lot. Campfire was mostly for hot dogs, jiffy pop, and marshmallows. Dad had a small Coleman cook stove for breakfast food like eggs and bacon. A small portable hibachi for burgers. The camper also had a mini range with cooktop and oven. At home, we grilled outside.
Ahh, yes…here’s my confession…my camping days looked a lot like you just described. We always took a 2 burner campstove (electric), and a crockpot, and sometimes a deep electric skillet. Our campfire was just for fun foods. But back when I was a child (and wasn’t in charge of the cooking), my grandmother used a 2 burner gas camping stove, and lanterns, and we slept in a tent totally secluded from another human. No electricity or water, except what we had in our water jugs. Our biggest comfort was having air mattresses to sleep on, and all of them were flat by the next morning…but it made for some wonderful memories!
I have cooked fish wrapped in tin foil in the coals of a camp fire.
That sounds so good! I think I may try that!
Welcome back, Lynne! It’s great to have you visit us. I have to say that I have a deep fondness for outdoor cooking over an open fire. Growing up, we went fishing a lot because my dad loved it so much. We’d usually meet my aunt and uncle there and camp out together. I still remember waking up to the smell of bacon cooking and coffee brewing as my mother and aunt cooked breakfast while the men checked the trotline. I loved sleeping under the stars. We never had a tent but we had army cots that we’d take and everyone had one. We’d just stretch them out and go to sleep. Those were special times. Wishing you much success with your books and in life.
Thanks, Linda! It’s an honor to be back. I just confessed to Denise that most of my camping cooking (as an adult) was cooking with electric appliances, except for things like Hot dogs and marshmallows over an actual campfire. However, I have cooked a lot on an indoor woodburning stove, and even a couple of times in an actual fireplace. One of my goals is to have a fire pit of sorts in my backyard where I can use my cast iron dutch oven to make my Cowboy Biscuits, and also have a tripod to hold a big ole pot of homemade stew or chili!
Wow! To really sleep under the stars must be WILD and Wonderful! Those kinds of experiences are sure helpful in your writing!
My great great grandfather was the cook on the Chisolm Trail. I have a photo of him.
Growing up we went camping every summer. In a tent, then later in a pop-up camper. Chili and hot dogs were my favorite.
How interesting for your family to sit around and share some of his stories, I’m sure! In fact, that’s how I got started on my writing journey. I started writing down all kinds of precious memories older people would share with me, but I never had one that did something as adventurous as even join a wagon train!
Enjoy your memories, and your hotdogs with chili (LOL!) while you make new memories for the next generation!
I have never been camping. My hubby loves to go camping. If I was going to be a cook, it would be on a Wagon Train.
I’m shocked! With your husband loving it, I was sure you would have tried it!
Ahh, so you would be the nurturing type of cook on the wagon train, lending more than a hand to homesick travelers, but also an ear to listen and a hug for encouragement. I can see that.
I’ve always enjoyed backyard grilling. I’m not the cook but when these occasions happen, it usually means the family has gathered to catch up and enjoy great food.
I wouldn’t want to be the cook for either. People can be down right grumpy after a long day of work/travel and I don’t want to hear them grump about the food. lol
LOL! Then you would be better on the Cattle Trail! You could smack those boys upside the head! LOL!
Family gatherings are the best! Enjoy every one you can!
I love to grill chicken. I probably would pick the wagon train.
Grilled Chicken sounds delicious!
Both take a special kind of person, so I’m guessing you are a nurturing type, ready to encourage and sympathize.
The little experience I have is cooking hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken on the grill outside. But my husband did most of that, I substituted if he couldn’t.
I would choose to be the cook for my family if we were traveling on a wagon train. I don’t think the responsibility would be as great for cooking for a smaller number of people that would be in my family compared to maybe 20 or so that would be on a cattle drive.
We have the same experience on the grill!
And you’re right about having to cook for so many, although I get a taste of that a few times a year…we are up to 15 around the table on special occasions now. But with those 20 hungry cowboys, you would have to fix enough for 40 to fill them up! That would be a JOB!
I enjoy hamburgers on the grill along with hot dogs. The hot dogs have to be burnt to be good though. I also do some steak on the grill but only if I can catch it on sale.
I guess I would want to cook for a wagon train because you would have others to help with the cooking if you were cooking for a few wagons.
I think I would prefer to be a chuck wagon cook. For one it is a shorter time frame, and second, it is nice to be in charge : ) I have cooked outside in several ways: open fires, camp stoves, grills, box ovens. With family or scout troops, cast iron dutch ovens and large kettles and frying pans work wonders for large groups. Doing chili or stew in a large pot is easy. So is baking biscuits in a dutch oven. A favorite in the dutch oven is a cobbler, usually peach. Packet cooking on the coals produces good meals. Wrapping seasoned potatoes, onions, carrots, and hamburger or chicken on foil and placing it on hot coals to cook makes for good eating. We took the orange slices out of the peel leaving a bowl. Using the juice from the oranges for the liquid, mix a yellow cake mix, pour in the orange peel cups, wrap in foil, place on coals to bake. Yum. There are many other things you can make and lots of books to look for recipes – or just make up your own.
We have done other types of outdoor cooking, but for a chuck wagon, the large cast iron pots and pans work well. We have griddles for eggs, pancakes, meats, etc. We have done meats rotisserie style or on grills over the coals. For fun, it isn’t really “cooking” but we have the old style , hand crank, ice cream maker. We make it outside, so it counts. It is a lot of work but fun, and so worth it.
Thanks for bringing back good memories.
I love when we go tent camping and you have hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill that crisp to petfection for some reason they taste extra delicious. It camping season I can just savior the taste right now, nothing can beat it. I been to this childhood and look for it every yr. I think it taste better when you outside and get to breath in all the fresh air mixed with food on the grill. Love it